The National Education Policy is a revolutionary document aimed at creating an India of the dreams of Bharathidasan and his mentor Subramaniya Bharathi, governor and chancellor of Bharathidasan University, R N Ravi, said here on Thursday.
Addressing the 37th convocation of the university, the governor said NEP 2020 lays the thrust on clearing certain hurdles in the present education system. “It envisions an education system rooted in the Indian ethos enabling the transformation of Bharat into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society. All educational institutions, primary to tertiary, must commit to providing affordable, high-quality education to all.
He said
Bharathidasan dedicated his life to the freedom of India from colonial rule and also to the eradication of evils that had permeated our society and perverted it. Through his revolutionary writings for freedom and justice, he inspired the youth and galvanized society. His dream was to build a “Puthiyathor Ulagam Seivom” which means “a new world, a new India,” he added.
The governor ruled that a large number of freedom fighters still remain unknown and unsung. “Bharathidasan University should survey the area of its coverage, dig up those heroes and build profiles of their contributions lest they are lost forever,” Though India had done well in managing the Covid situation under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and with the cooperation of the state governments, he asked people to be more vigilant.
The governor had some advice to offer to the graduates. “I urge you to ‘Perisaa Yaoseenga’ (think big), ‘Perisaa kanavu kaanunga’ (dream big), ‘Kashtapattu velai seiyunga’ (work hard), ‘Thannambikkaiyoda Irunga’ (be confident). If you do so, ‘Ulagam fungal vasamaagum’ (the world becomes yours),” he said. Earlier, the governor gave away graduation certificates to 2,139 students who completed Ph.D., 42 PG, and 44 UG rank holders. In all, 1.04 lakh graduates including 70,520 women were also given away graduate certificates in absentia for two academic years. Due to Covid-19, last year’s convocation did not happen.
Speaking on the occasion, higher education minister K Ponmudi batted for a two-language policy in states and urged the Centre to support it. In Tamil Nadu, he said students should learn two languages such as Tamil and English. At the same time, they can also learn a third language as they wish. But that should not be compulsory, he said.
“So, I appeal to our governor to kindly support the policy. Let us have two languages – English for international knowledge and Tamil for local understanding. Let the students choose their third language, whether it is Hindi, Telugu, or Malayalam,” he stated. He said a total of 1,06,231 were conferred convocation certificates. Among them 71,774 (68%) were females and 34,457 (32%) males. “
That is why I say the Sangam period is back. In the Sangam period, both male and female poets were there. However, due to various invasions during the middle age period, everything turned upside down. Again, women are very much interested in the education of their wards, particularly girl children,” he said. The minister added that the government has exempted students from remitting fees in government arts colleges to encourage more to pursue higher education.
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